I just returned from a week at Wildacres taking a workshop Silver
and Gold Granulation with Revere Academy East and organized by the
Florida Society of Goldsmiths. This was the first time I have taken a
week long workshop.

Wildacres is about 1.5 hours outside of Asheville, North Carolina.
Alan Revere, along with his excellent staff, created an amazing
school out of literally nothing. With 60 people attending the
teachers were Doug Zaruba, Vaskin, Christine Dhein, Alan Revere and
Ronda Corywell. Ronda taught granulation.

Each class was at near capacity, with 16 or so in each class. The
classes were, Stone setting, fabrication, wax working, rendering,
mechanisms, surface applications in gold and granulation

Granulation has been a love of mine, and the opportunity to work in
gold with a master was an experience I wasn’t about to miss. Ronda is
an exceptionally skilled teacher. She went through all the paces of
teaching us fusing, that by the time the week ended, I had taken gold
to temperatures that I would surely thought would melt. 22K gold is
lucious and ductile, and for the first time, I discovered what all
the fuss was about.

Every time I stepped into a classroom, all the students were hunched
over intently working. There was something special about that
intensity, and to have an opportunity to really drive yourself to
perfect a technique that was completely engaging. Is an experience I
won’t forget but plan to repeat. I loved every minute. The evenings
were on your own to go back into the studio and work or to hang out
with other people. I heard laughter, stories, drank martinis (not in
the studio) and enjoyed the commaraderie of my fellow goldsmiths.

Presentations were made by Allan, Ronda, Vaskin, Doug, Christine and
myself. It was inspiring to see the work created by all these people.

What this experience gave me was some time away from my job. My cell
phone did not work, no access to the internet anywhere, no tv or
phone in my room. I spent 8 days off the communication grid,
completely absorbed into my work. In a word…sublime.

This week away gave me the opportunity to reconnect my work with my
heart. Thank you FSG and Revere Academy and to all the students. You
were amazing. I look forward to attending the next one in 2007.